Shattered Bond
by Master-Magician
Summary: Ben heaved in deep lungfuls of oxygen, his vision was blurry but he could still make out the shape of Ryn standing above him. The shorter mermaid between Ben and Donna, her every muscle tensed like a snake preparing to strike.


**A little something that came to mind after watching the promo for episode five. A certain scene in particular I noticed.**

 **If all goes well, I hope to post one Siren work per week. Unless I get a sudden burst of inspiration, in which case I may do more. I have several ideas already and I seem to get more with each episode that comes out.**

 **Everyone who is leaving a comment are my heroes. Seriously, if it wasn't for the few comments I've been getting I probably wouldn't be doing anymore.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

He should have seen it coming, being an optimist was all well and good, but Ben still should have expecting things to go sideways as quick as it did.

The first red flag came when Ryn's tracker reactivated. While Ben and Maddie had been delighted to see the mermaid again, the fact she was returning to land at all was a bad omen.

A bad omen indeed, she was there because her people's food source was all but depleted. Ryn, more familiar with the human world than any of the rest of her colony, had taken it upon herself to find a solution. Her sister, Donna, accompanying her had been unexpected but considering they had just been reunited, it was no surprise.

Ben had to admit, he was more than a little flattered that he and Maddie had been Ryn's first thought of where to turn. If Ryn put so much faith and trust in them, the least they could do was try to help.

Naturally, that was when things took a downward spiral.

Even before meeting Ryn, Ben had his suspicions about the waters around Bristol Cove. That sea lion he and Maddie rescued the day he met Ryn had been but the latest of their charges to go to such distances for sustenance. Between all of those cases, and now the mermaids, Ben was positive something was up.

Suspicions proved correct, no, worse than correct. Ben's own family business were indeed pushing the fishing far past what they should. It was not done out of greed or lack of respect for the environment either. No, it was a calculated plot to draw more mermaids closer to the surface.

Trying to find and rescue a captured mermaid was one thing, but trying to take on the entire government? Ben, Maddie, and the two mermaids were way out of their league here. As much as Ben didn't want to admit it to Ryn, he was well and truly at a loss for what to do.

While Ben didn't know what to do, Donna figured out a solution of her own. If there were no fishermen, then nobody could take the fish from their oceans. Ryn could understand why that was a bad idea, but Donna didn't share her views.

The final straw came when Donna figured out Ben was a member of the family that ran the fishing industry here in Bristol Cove.

If Ben was related, then he must be involved and was one of those responsible. Completely preposterous, but Donna didn't see it that way.

That was when the computer came flying for his face.

Ben had managed to push Maddie back and throw himself the opposite way just in time for the missile to miss them both. He didn't get to blink before Donna herself was rushing him.

Maddie tried to intervene, not physically, but she didn't even get a chance to speak before Donna brutally knocked her into the nearby desk. Unlike Ryn, who had done the same on accident, Donna fully intended to cause harm.

Ben didn't like running, he would much prefer to go check up on his girlfriend, but his current priority was leading Donna away before she could cause any more damage. He would just have to trust Helen to see to Maddie.

There was no telling what Ryn was doing, all Ben knew for certain was she hadn't been attacking alongside her sibling. Ryn did try to call after her sister, but Ben didn't understand the sounds the two mermaids made to each other.

Sprinting through the rescue center, Ben tried to evaluate his options. Donna was showing no signs of slowing, she had adapted to traversing land faster than Ryn had. Ben's only saving grace thus far had been moving around corners and other obstacles to escape her reach, but that didn't last long. Donna was just too fast on her feet.

Ben needed a plan to stop her and he needed it now.

Exiting outside, and slamming a door in Donna's face, Ben caught sight of the ocean. If he could somehow get Donna into the water, he could make a break for it while she was transforming. If Donna decided to resume pursuit, she'd have to wait however long it took to change back into human form.

Not exactly the best of plans, but Ben was trying his absolute hardest not to actually hurt the mermaid. Even trying to kill him, she was still Ryn's sister. Forcing her transformation would be agonizing, but Donna was giving him no choice.

Without stopping, Ben swiped a flare from the emergency station on the side of the building. Good thing he didn't pause, Donna had only taken a whole two seconds to smash the door down.

"Please work, please work." Ben repeated as he yanked the cap from the flare. Going through another doorway, Ben whirled about, igniting the flare as he did so. Donna came into his field of vision just as it popped to life with its bright red glow.

Donna immediately skidded to a halt when faced with the intense light. She let out a hiss of fear as she took a step back. Just as Ben had been hoping, Donna didn't know what to think of the unknown object in Ben's hand and retreated from it.

As Donna fell back, Ben advanced, holding the flare out in front of him like a burning torch. Just a few steps, that was all Ben needed. Just a few steps and Donna would fall right off the edge of the dock and into the water.

Donna withdrew all the way back until she was standing right on the edge but suddenly stopped. She looked down at the lit flare and back up to Ben. Her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

A flick of Donna's arm sent the flare flying to roll harmlessly down the dock.

Ben had to once more dodge Donn's hands, but in doing so he stumbled through the door he opened moments before. Only after entering through the portal did he realize his mistake.

This was one of their storage sheds.

With only one way in or out.

Donna took advantage and rushed her now cornered prey. In the span of a single heartbeat, Donna seized Ben by the throat and lifted him from the ground. He tried to say something, anything, that could at least give the berserk mermaid pause but wasn't able to. Whatever words he made came out as a muffled wheeze as the mermaid crushed his windpipe.

Black spots darkened the edge of Ben's vision. Donna seemed content to strangle him rather than simply break his neck. Just as Ben began to lose consciousness, a flash of blue appeared in his blurry vision.

Next thing Ben knew, Donna was violently pulled away and hurled into the shelves. Their contents spilled all over Donna and the floor, but the mermaid didn't notice. She was too focused on the interloper.

Ryn.

Ben heaved in deep lungfuls of oxygen, his vision was blurry but he could still make out the shape of Ryn standing above him. The shorter mermaid between Ben and Donna, her every muscle tensed like a snake preparing to strike.

Donna moved to circle around Ryn, but she shifted position to compensate, making sure she was between Donna and Ben. When Donna got too close, Ryn snapped at her with a sharp hiss.

The warning was clear.

Donna could only stare at her sister in utter bewilderment, Ben too was caught off guard by Ryn's actions. What could possibly be going through the younger mermaid's mind?

Ryn might be blocking her path, but Ben could plainly see Donna still eyeing him with pure rage. It would be a great time to go for the door, but that was no longer available. Donna had blocked off the passage, intentionally or not, when she tried to get around Ryn. Ben was still trapped, but with one predator stopping another predator from tearing him limb from limb.

A stalemate that could go any number of directions.

For a long, drawn out moment, Donna and Ryn were silent. The two mermaids staring each other down, Donna's glare not receding. Ben was afraid to speak a word, scared to even take a breath lest this eerie calm shatter.

Turned out, Ben wasn't needed for that to happen.

Fed up with waiting, Donna let loose a growl and launched another assault. It was obvious from the way she moved, Donna had no intention of attacking her sister. The taller mermaid was either trying to get around or calling Ryn's bluff.

Donna discovered too late that Ryn wasn't bluffing.

Ryn reacted with an inhuman snarl, throwing the entire weight of her body into her sister. The two mermaids slamming together in a tangle of screeches and hisses.

Ben had to scramble away, or else be caught in the hurricane that was the two sisters. Try as he might, he still couldn't reach the exit. He'd have to pass too close to the struggling mermaids.

All thougths of flight vanished from Ben's mind when he heard the cry of pain from Ryn as Donna shoved her into the wall, knocking out a good chunk of said wall. Ben couldn't even open his mouth before the mermaids disappeared out the door.

Ben heard the splash before he was able to take a single step.

Sprinting out the door, Ben found Ryn on her knees at the edge of the dock. Donna nowhere to be found, but a telltale ripple emanating from the water.

"Ryn?" Ben called out to the mermaid before he came close. She was transfixed on the water, and Ben didn't want to accidentally startle her. "Ryn?"

He wanted to ask if she was alright, but the thought of doing so made Ben feel like a complete idiot. She just literally fought her sister, of course she wasn't okay.

Ryn stared out blankly at the now subsiding ripple before reaching her hand out, a sound passing from her lips not unlike a wail. Ben recognized it as similar to how the mermaids communicated but he was unable to understand it. Just hearing it was enough to made his heart ache, though. He didn't need to understand to know what Ryn meant.

Deciding to take a chance, Ben reached out and put a single hand on Ryn's shoulder. Her hand dropped down to her side, but she made no other movements or sounds.

There was nothing for Ben to say, nothing that could be said.

"Ryn, your arm." Ben was ashamed it took him so long to notice. Ryn's left arm was marked with a deep gash, fresh blood running down her skin in rivulets. Recalling Ryn's yell when Donna introduced her to the wall, Ben felt like an even bigger idiot.

The wound had to be hurting, but Ryn remained dead to the world.

"We have a first aid kit back in the center." Ben moved to stand but Ryn wasn't following. Using as much gentleness as he could muster, Ben moved his arm beneath Ryn's uninjured one and lifted her up. She was heavy, but not entirely deadweight. "It's… going to be okay." The words were hollow, Ben knew this, but it was the best he could offer her.

Ryn's behaviors could sometimes be strange, but this was an entirely new definition of weird. Ben and Maddie never actually led Ryn anywhere, they just happened to be going with Ryn following to the same places but only because Ryn chose to follow. They couldn't actually make Ryn do anything she didn't want to.

Now? Now, Ben was guiding Ryn along with a hand at the small of her back and the mermaid blindly following. Ben could have walked her right off a cliff and Ryn wouldn't have said a word. It was… disturbing to say the least.

Deeply shaken didn't even begin to cover how Ryn looked. Hopefully, Helen would have some useful advice for all of them.

"Ben! Thank god." Maddie let out a sigh of relief when she saw Ben return along with Ryn. She moved to stand from the stool she occupied, but Helen's firm hand on her shoulder forced her back down.

"Where's the other?" Helen looked over watched the pair return with a glance at the way they came.

"Gone." Ben sat Ryn down on a stool beside Maddie, whom had just noticed Ryn's injury. "Back to the ocean." Ben trusted Maddie to tell him if she was seriously injured, but for now he needed to see to Ryn first.

"First aid kit's over here." Maddie was up from her seat before Helen could stop her. Ben didn't miss the slight limp his girlfriend was sporting, but now wasn't the time. After retrieving the white box, Maddie retook her perch on Ryn's opposite side. "What happened?"

"She protected you, didn't she." Helen wasn't asking, merely stating the obvious. "From her own sister."

Ben didn't answer, there was no point.

"This might sting a little." Ben warned Ryn before applying the alcohol to clean her wound. He expected the painful act to get at least a little rise out of her, but Ryn remained silent, even while Ben wiped up the blood staining her arm and affixed the bandage.

This was growing more troubling by the second.

* * *

It was decided the last place Ryn needed to be was the rescue center. Ben's first thought had been to leave Ryn at Helen's place when they dropped off the older woman. Ben didn't like the idea, but it was probably the best one.

An idea Helen instantly shot down.

"She's better off with you." Helen explained when she and Ben exited the vehicle. Ryn remained in the backseat along with Maddie whom had been doing her best to comfort the mermaid. "You may not have noticed it, but she's calmer when you two are around."

"I'm also the one responsible for their… argument." Ben defended. "Won't that just make things worse?"

"Not as much as you think." Helen fished her keys out to open her store. "Trust me, you two can do more for her than I could."

With that, Helen was gone.

Letting out a long sigh, Ben returned to the car. Before Maddie could open the door to help Ryn out, Ben stopped her with a shake of the head. "She's coming home with us."

Curiosity was etched into Maddie's face, but she didn't question the decision.

The drive back to his house was a long one for Ben. He'd made a similar drive hundreds of times yet this one seemed to stretch on forever. He'd started out adjusting the rear-view mirror so he could keep an eye on Maddie and Ryn. Helen was gone, but Maddie was adamant about remaining in the back with Ryn.

From the moment they left the rescue center, Maddie had tried to get Ryn to open up. From soft words of encouragement, to equally gentle touches, but nothing worked. Maddie had long ago given up on getting any response, and instead elected on just holding Ryn with one arm. A way to remind her that Maddie was there for her.

Ryn showed no trace of her traditional curiosity or emotion. Just a blank stare ahead at nothing, her body so still that Ben was worried more than once that she was breathing.

It occurred to Ben that he didn't know how mermaids mourn or show grief. They likely lacked tearducts, so tears were an impossibility. Ryn seemed to have completely shut down mentally and almost physically, maybe this was how? For that matter, how do they comfort one another?

Ben was so ecstatic to pull up to his place that he wanted to cheer. The sooner this terrible day ended, the better off the planet would be.

Maddie's limp was worse, Ben saw for himself as they exited the car and entered his front door. Typical Maddie, too stubborn and worrying about others for her own good.

"Okay, spill. How bad?" Once Ben had ushered Ryn safety indoors and onto his couch, he confronted his girlfriend.

"How bad's what?" Maddie flashed what she must have thought was a disarming smile. Ben wasn't falling for that old trick.

Ben gave her a look.

"Okay." Maddie grimaced and joined Ryn on the couch. "Hurts like hell, but I've had worse."

"Let's see." Ben dropped to one knee in front of Maddie.

Maddie rolled her eyes and sighed but knew there was no arguing. First, she removed her boots, next she peeled off her jeans. Despite her attempts to hide the pain of doing so, a groan escaped her lips anyway.

"Looks worse than it feels." Maddie reassured as Ben examined her legs. There was some heavy bruising along her upper leg and thigh, some he saw on her hip when he raised her shirt slightly. At least there was nothing broken. This was the second time Maddie got tossed about by a mermaid. Ryn had at least been accidental, Donna didn't have such an excuse. "Besides, you're one to talk."

"What?"

Maddie fished her phone from the pocket of her discarded jeans and used the blank screen like a mirror so Ben could see himself. Sure enough, the flesh of his throat was marked with deep purple marks in the shape of fingers. Ben wasn't surprised, he was lucky Donna hadn't done much worse, but he hadn't even noticed his neck hurting until Maddie pointed it out. Too much keeping him distracted, Ben figured.

"Sorry." The voice was so inaudible, Ben almost assumed he imagined it. He would have, if he hadn't been waiting to hear it since the rescue center.

Ben's head snapped direction to find Ryn staring at the two humans. Regret and sorrow twisting her features horribly.

"I…" Ryn was having trouble forming words, just because of the usual reason. "I, am sorry."

"Oh, sweetie." Maddie scooted closer to the mermaid and took her hand. "This isn't your fault, not one bit."

"Sister not bad." Ryn defended her sibling, her mournful gaze turning on Ben. "You, not bad."

"You're right." Ben agreed, putting a hand on Ryn's knee. "Nobody here is bad, it was just a misunderstanding. This is why we try to learn things, so this don't happen."

"Sister will learn." Ryn nodded. "Will understand."

"She just needs some time to cool off and calm down." Maddie patted the hand she held in hers. "She'll be back before long and we can all talk this out and figure out our next move. We'll figure this out, don't worry."

Ben truly wished he shared his girlfriend's confidence, but that was one reason why he adored her so.

"Come on." Maddie stood back up, hiding her wince with a fake cough. "It's getting late."

Ben glanced at the nearby clock only to find it read six after eight. Not that late, but it had been a rather trying day, he couldn't blame Maddie for being tired. Ben himself wasn't the least bit tired but chose to humor Maddie.

"Ben?" Ben knew that tone, it meant Maddie was about to ask if he was okay with something. He had a feeling he already knew what it was.

"Sure, she can sleep with us again if she wants to." Ben answered before Maddie could even ask.

"How did you…"

"Because I know you, and it's up to her." Ben turned his back to switch off the main light, but when he turned back he found Maddie and Ryn already in bed. The two hadn't even bothered changing out of their clothes.

Trying to lay on her unbruised side, Maddie had commandeered his side of the bed but still facing inward as usual. Ryn was curled in closely to Maddie, her face all but pressed into her neck, but the position also allowed her lay on her unwounded arm. Ben couldn't blame her, if cuddling with his girlfriend brought her any comfort he was all for it. Most shocking, Ryn was actually under the covers instead of over them like last time.

Joining them in bed, Ben resigned to Ryn borrowing Maddie for the night. Needless to say, he was surprised when Ryn reached behind her to find his arm. Taking his hand, she pulled him closer and clutched his hand to her chest so that his arm was wrapped around her and her back nearly flush with his front.

Ben would have thought Ryn uncomfortable at being so boxed in, but if anything, she seemed even more relaxed than the last time they shared the bed. Again, if it made things for Ryn easier, Ben was happy to oblige.

Perhaps this was how mermaids helped their own when faced with tragedy or something like it.

She'd earned it, and more.

* * *

 **Not the one I had been hoping to have written for this week, but after watching that promo I just had to get this one out before it tore a hole in my brain. The blasted thing didn't even go how I wanted it to go, particularly the ending, but here we are anyway.**

 **I am open to ideas given by readers if anyone wants to take me up on that.**


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